Hello everyone i'm new here and I hope we can get along. I also hope you guys can help me raise my Venus fly trap I got two weeks ago from some store. it came in a little plastic terrarium but from what I read on this site I don't need it. For now I left it in the growing medium it came in, I'm giving it RO water (I read it and it says sodium free) and I leave it outside for around 6 hours of direct light outside, then for the rest of the day it sits in shade from the house. So... is this okay?

~Never fear Venus Fly Trap is here to destroy evil insects and all you hold dear~

6 hours sunlight is good, but if you can give it more, veuns flytraps love light with light they get lovely red colouration and they really flourish, everything else look fibe to me any more questions, just ask

Dan Galley, Sarracenia Addict, and Trainee Horticulturist.If you have any rare Sarracenia that aren't on my growlist, send me a message!

Thanks, its nice to know I'm doing something right. To be honest I joined the forum because everyone seems nice, knowledgeable and professional . well... since i got it from the store I didn't acclimate it to sunlight I just put it outside; a day later a few red spots appeared on some parts of the plant mainly the traps, is it sunburn? none have appeared since then, the rest of my plant is all green and is putting out growth fairly quickly. I was also wondering if my vft could go one year without going dormant, i'd hate to stop all this sudden growth.

(on a side note the pot i got surprisingly had, what it looked to be 4 vfts, all for 7 dollars)

~Never fear Venus Fly Trap is here to destroy evil insects and all you hold dear~

It sounds like you're doing things right so far. I wouldn't worry too much about the red spots you're seeing. It's not uncommon for plants to lose leaves when adjusting to new growing conditions. If your plant wasn't receiving any direct sunlight before you got it (which is almost certainly wasn't), it will likely get sunburned. You could prevent this by gradually introducing it to direct sunlight (might be a bit late for that). But any new growth that it puts out will be hardened off to the sun. And the plant is still healthy underground (the rhizome or bulb won't get sunburned), so it will grow back as long as you care for it properly, which is sounds like you're doing.

VenusFireTrap wrote:I was also wondering if my vft could go one year without going dormant, i'd hate to stop all this sudden growth.

I'd not recommend that. Just let it do it's thing. The growth won't stop suddenly. Flytraps still grow a bit even when dormant.

VenusFire Trap (nice nickname) If the container that your plant came in when you bought it is very small, it may overheat easily in direct sunlight and make the medium too hot for the roots.

If I were in your place and it were my plant, I would mix up a little growing medium of some sort, get an insulating styrofoam beverage cup or some other container larger than the one it came in, and I would carefully shake the plant from its current cup, keep the medium around the roots, and transplant it into the larger container, filling in the extra spaces with the medium I mixed up.

here you go squirtoman, it took me awhile but I got it.horrendous quality i think; hope the pic size is small enough.circled are the spots. lol they don't look red I know but its reddish.another angle. what the inside of the traps look like sort of a brown-red color

In the black circle is a caught fly. last night at the computer the fly was buzzing around the the CFL light and I thought that bringing in my VFT from outside would take care of it and it did but now I think the fly was a bit big. the trap is in the sealing phase already and you can see the fly still... so the new trap is a goner huh? if only the bigger trap next to it formed faster.

Steve_D wrote:VenusFire Trap (nice nickname)

thank you Steve, I got the name from a Mario enemy. its the piranha plant that comes out of pipes and shoot fireballs.

~Never fear Venus Fly Trap is here to destroy evil insects and all you hold dear~

yep it looks like its just adjusting, the new leaves that are growing look absolutely fine.you may and i say may with alot of.... umm mayness, have a division im not sure but as i said you may i dont think the trap will survive its meal but atleast it got rid of that stupid fly

Dan Galley, Sarracenia Addict, and Trainee Horticulturist.If you have any rare Sarracenia that aren't on my growlist, send me a message!